So, obviously, this is the part that's the most important part... this blog may be heavily centered around the DIY aspects of the wedding (which will be thoroughly canvassed a few recaps from now!) but this is why we all came together:
My Grampa started out with a story about the first time he called me to ask me out on a "date." We've had regular IHOP dates since I was about 7. My G was very good at making me have fun and mix in an education along with it. Apparently (I don't even remember this part) he wrote down math problems on flash cards and went over them with me while we waited for our pancakes and apparently people in surrounding tables would stop their conversation to see this unlikely pair doing math problems and drowning their pancakes in syrup.
I may have switched to men my own age, but no one ever let me use as much syrup as Grampa did.
No one in my family is immune to pancake dates with Grampa. I'm gonna' go out on a limb and count myself luckiest 'cause I'm the oldest so I've had more pancake dates than everyone else (by at least 6 years! and in the case of my brother 10 years!!)
I mentioned yesterday that by going from holding my dad's hand to holding Kyle's, I officially started a new life. BUT having my grandfather be such a huge part of the wedding meant that I never really have to let go of where I came from. So that's why that's so awesome.
As I said, my G starts out by loosening up the crowd and he then introduces my best zombie friend to do a reading. I never saw Sean on my way in, had no word whether or not he was there, and knew also that at the time he didn't have access to a car, so I all of a sudden became very worried that he hadn't shown up (I didn't know his reading was so close to the beginning of the ceremony... and we started right on time!) I slowly turned around to scan our guests just as he stood up. Whew... awesome.
So Sean read I Corinthians 13 v1-13. He was very nervous, but he did an excellent job! I wish we had more pictures, and I hope it was apparent to him how important it was to me that he was there for that, as my oldest friend.
G used I Corinthians as a lead-in to his homily, during which he talked about what the scripture meant.
We can't just be good people, and we can't just honor God hollowly, we can't just say the words...
We have to do all this and more with love running through us. We have to respect ourselves and each other and keep believing in the other and keep the faith.
He might have said a few funny things here and there... and the homily seemed long and short at the same time. I could feel Kyle's hands sweating (it was hot in that pavilion with the flaps down but the sun beating in) and I tried to hang on every word, but started worrying that I wasn't going to remember any of this... How ridiculous is it to worry about forgetting something before it's even over?! But that's how my brain works.
Meanwhile Ben got some great pictures of our bridal party:
Keri's face is perfect. At least she has a pretty cry face, wait till you see mine...
And I love the spontaneous left-over-right the guys have going on... I don't think that was practiced...
Like I said, I know there were some funny things said in there, but everything's a little blurry. Ben also got a lot of pictures. A. Lot. So it's hard to tell time by them, so here's a bunch more, although I can't say for sure what's happening during them:
I should maybe have asked my mom or something before writing this post; I really wish I knew what was so funny in this picture. I think it had something to do with life with Gramma after 50 years...
Ben got a few artistic shots in...
Very edgy angles!
Then Kyle's dad read a passage from Jeremiah 29 (not sure the verses) but some may recognize the phrase "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
However many verses it was, it was very sweet. Then before I knew it, it was vow time!!
Kyle delivered his vows like a lecture, which sounds horrible, but it's not, that's his way. He was never going to be sappy and broken up and emotional. Again, that sounds so harsh but it's reality, and there's nothing wrong with that, he's a very methodical person.
His vows were full of allusions to the giving of rings and how symbolic it was and how he was going to come up short but that he would never stop trying to be better.
As disgusting as this is going to sound, I started to feel like my vows were now not going to measure up, his were very symbolic and full of religious undertones and scholarly wisdom...
I felt like mine were going to sound so childish next to his. I still got emotional though, because he kept coming back to the fact that his shortcomings were strengths because he was going to keep striving to be better, and it was very sweet, because I could tell he was really trying to get across how hard he was going to work at our marriage, and that's obviously what it's all about.
But he still managed to be irreverent by sticking in our favorite Mr. Darcy quote at the end ("I love you... most arrrrdently")
But then it was my turn, and the water works started. Not sure if reading my own vows was the best idea I'd ever had...
Everyone was very sweet and chuckled at me when I said I didn't think my vows were going to measure up to his.
There are a few other pictures, but they're not too pretty. My vows were all about how I didn't even know I could love anyone this much, all that sappy stuff that you'd expect to hear out of a crying bride :)
But seriously, it was about how he makes me want to be a better person, and how I've always been myself around him, and he's accepted all of me, and how that makes me just want to strive for greatness, so that we can be great together. Everything good that happens, I want him to be there... oh, pause for hanky moment...
And I don't want either of us to go through any bad times without each other. And finally that I was going to try to be the best wife, mother, friend. Whew!
Deep breath for regaining composure, and then it was time to exchange rings. Mia and Dan each had the wrong rings (Mia was supposed to give me Kyle's ring to put on his finger, Dan was supposed to give my ring to Kyle to put on my finger... they scratched that and reversed it) so everyone awkwardly switched rings around. I thought it was hysterical, but I think everyone else thought it was one of those 'Oh no! something bad happened!' moments. But it was funny
specifically because I
knew when I saw Mia with my ring before the ceremony that she had the wrong ring, but she said this was the one Kyle gave her, and so I just nodded and waited... and sure enough Kyle said "My bad" right after the ceremony was over.
Now I'm not saying that it's a good sign that the marriage is already starting out with me being right...
My ring went on easy and so we only have one picture of it, but Ben was able to get a better shot of me putting Kyle's ring on because his hands were all sweaty:
The sun was right in his face though, but who knew late November was going to give us such a gorgeous day?! ANYway, we were finally almost done, and so after the giving and receiving of rings, it was time to be pronounced husband and wife!! And (my favorite part),
kissin' the bride!!
Ben, of course, got loads of kissy pictures, and processed them a bunch of ways, so I just thought I'd throw out a bunch, even though they all show the same thing, they're all pretty kissy pictures! And I enjoy looking at all of them.
And then we kissed some more, and people started clapping and cheering... Now how many times will you be cheered at while you're kissing? I say take advantage of it! Give the people what they came for!
Come up for air. Everyone's still cheering, so...
Kiss some more!! Also, good time to admire the alter, which I believe provided the backdrop that we wanted.
We finally emerged for air and were presented to our family and friends as Mr. and Mrs. Kyle James.
In general... so happy with our pavilion, look how pretty the lights are! Anyway, it was time for our long walk.
I didn't trip on my dress once. It was pretty spectacular. It was not yet tangible that I was walking down the aisle as a different person than when I walked up...
But I knew I was pretty excited! Teehee!!
We were followed by our lovely bridal party, and it was finally almost at an end. Mia and Dan,
Sister Jordan and Brother Keith...
And finally Keri and Kenny. Thanks again to Keri, who, I don't remember if I mentioned, came all the way down from Boston to be there for me, and had to walk with Kenny ;)
So, then it was over! As soon as Kyle and I got out of the pavilion we were quite giddy and silly (or at least I was). We got to talk for a few minutes about the ceremony and how hot it was in the pavilion and how the rings got switched around (he apologized profusely like I was going to be angry at him for 'ruining' the ceremony I worked so hard to make perfect... am I that much of a dictator??) for the few minutes that we had before family portraits.
We thanked each other for our gifts and hugged and kissed some more, and as soon as we were brought in close proximity to a beer, we both cracked one! I breathed a huge sigh of contented relief. I realized I had put a lot of pressure on the ceremony but it was beautiful/perfect/just right/awesome. It would be all down hill from here!
Miss a recap so far? Catch up!
I really love the rustic look of your venue, it truly made for some really amazing photos!! LOVE.
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